behind the eight ball

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A day never passed without me fully aware that we now lived our lives squarely behind the eight ball.

From Salon • May 11, 2025

“It has hurt our snowpack by not adding to it. So we’re behind the eight ball throughout the state.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2025

“It feels depressing every time you see one of those reports, because it just shows us, again, how far behind the eight ball we are,” Jayapal said.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2023

After team facilities closed for an extended stretch, Scott “came back in a tough spot,” Tarp said, “so he was kind of behind the eight ball on that one.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 13, 2022

"No matter what we do for old 'Blast-off' we'll wind up behind the eight ball."

From Danger in Deep Space by Glanzman, Louis